I recently convened to the garage for a small American
Civil War battle. I just purchased a 27”
monitor and a wireless keyboard specifically for Carnage and Glory 2 and wanted
to put the new gear to the test. Nigel
Marsh also released a large upgrade to CG2, so I was looking forward to
testing it out as well.
I settled on an old Johnny Reb 2 scenario, the battle of
Williamsburg (1862), which would fit perfectly on a 6’ x 5’ table. The battle pitted a couple of brigades
on each side, so infantry numbers were roughly equal. I actually ran the scenario twice, but
the first game was too imbalanced with regards to Union artillery superiority
and resulted in a decision that was foretold by turn 2.
For the second game, I brought the Union artillery in as
reinforcements (in addition to General Davidson’s brigade) to General Winfield Scott
Hancock’s isolated command. I left the artillery under the command of the Union
division commander (General William Smith) while the Confederates focused their attack on Hancock’s
brigade. It seemed to really balance the
game and it added some “pucker factor” to both sides by the end. One interesting side note is that this was one of Second Lt George Custer's first actions, who was attached as a staff officer to General Hancock. As happened historically, Custer was to prove very useful in rallying troops along the line in this game.
The upgrade to CG2 was very impressive, adding even more to
an already superb gaming system. The upgrade not only added prompts and compulsory unit information for GMs, it added concepts like oblique fire for artillery, maneuver columns on or off road for infantry and cavalry, as well as new modifiers for firing and combat. The upgrade was very large and added greatly to the enjoyment of the game. All this for a free download! In addition, my new equipment made all of the difference in
the gaming experience as well. I could see and interact with the computer from
every corner of the table. I was
ecstatic.
The new monitor and wireless keypad made data entry from any point on the tabletop a breeze. My laptop can be seen peeking out from behind the monitor screen. A big difference to these aging eyes.
The Scenario
The battle of Williamsburg occurred on May 5th,
1862 and it was the first major fight of the Peninsula Campaign (the march onto
Richmond). After McClellan's army was briefly delayed further southeast at Yorktown, Williamsburg evolved into a much larger battle, actually intended as a rear-guard action as the bulk of the Confederates continued on to Richmond. The full battle consisted of
approximately 40,000 Union troops versus 32,000 Confederates. The small fight
on my tabletop portrayed the threat of Hancock’s command on the extreme left
flank of the Confederates. The object of Hancock’s attack was a redoubt in
which several mortars and Virginia militia occupied. When this threat was realized
by the Confederates, General D.H. Hill rushed Jubal Early and Rains’ brigades
to counterattack. Seeing the Southerners' advance against his troops, Hancock
placed two regiments on a wooded hill and waited for Early’s men to attack
through an open field. Historically, Early’s attack went nowhere and Hancock
actually counterattacked, putting the rebels to flight. Hancock, in violation
of his orders to retreat, stubbornly stayed on the field and was credited with
a Union victory on this front. In our
scenario, General William Smith (with the divisional artillery) marched with
Davidson’s brigade to reinforce Hancock’s position. As Early’s men attacked
Hancock’s troops, Davidson’s Union men and Rains’ Confederates marched to
impact each other.
Confederate mortars and Virginia militia man the redoubt to the left of Hancock's troops
As you can see by the pictures, there was a large amount of
disordering terrain. The militia and mortars were fixed in position at the
redoubt. Davidson’s troops were to arrive on the southern edge of Dam road on
Turn 2, while Rains’ Confederates were marching in maneuver column on the northern
edge of the road, arriving on Turn 3. The divisional artillery, under the
command of General Smith, led the way in front of Davidson’s troops along the
road.
The Game
Jubal Early’s Confederate troops were poised to advance
across an open field towards Hancock’s position. The Union troops had the
benefit of medium cover in the woods though. In the first game, Hancock simply
placed his artillery on his right flank and caught the Confederate troops in
such a brutal cross-fire while crossing the field, that the game was literally
over when it began. This time, Early had a more promising chance of breaking
Hancock’s troops. 
Jubal Early's men advance
As Early’s men crossed over the fence line and skirmishers
began to engage on both sides, it was evident that the Confederates would need
to “bring it on home” if they had any hope of thrashing the Union troops in the
woods. As Early’s troops continued to advance, General Rains’ brigade showed up
a turn early and entered the table in maneuver column. Hancock’s left flank was
dangerously in the air. The following turn, Davidson’s Union troops entered the
southern side of the tabletop and moved quickly in maneuver column towards the
redoubt.
Rains' brigade enters the tabletop, threatening Hancock's left flank
Meanwhile, Davidson's troops, with the divisional artillery leading the way, advance to reinforce Hancock
Early’s brigade and Hancock’s brigade soon traded brutal
vollies, with the Confederates taking the worst of it in the open field. The 23rd North Carolina Regiment threw caution to the wind and
charged (using the Indian Rush maneuver) the 6th Maine. The Union volley halted the
Confederate charge and the North Carolinians stopped at 50 paces and went
prone. Heavy firing erupted all across
the line, as Early and Hancock’s men suffered casualties. Rains’ men, by this time, were advancing
towards the flank of Hancock’s position in the woods. Union artillery deployed in front of Davidson’s
troops and began to put a withering fire onto the Confederates moving towards
Hancock’s position. The Confederates, as well as Union troops, began to engage
in the heavy woods on the Confederate right.
Rains' Confederates begin deploying against Hancock
The charge of the 23rd North Carolina falters in front of the 6th Maine
The combat becomes vicious as all of the troops become embroiled around the woods
At this point, with both North Carolina regiments in the
front line of Early’s brigade wavering, Hancock ordered a charge and led the
unit 6th Maine into the attack. The
Confederates were sent reeling, but the men from Maine found itself halted in front of the 24th Virginia (at this point, held in reserve) which issued a nasty volley.
The 6th Maine Regiment, pursuing the defeated North Carolinians, soon found themselves at point blank range in front of the 24th Virginia Regiment. A bloody firefight soon engulfed both units.
As the game wore on, Davidson’s Yankees maneuvered through
the woods to support Hancock’s position and butted heads with Rains’
Confederates. The 6th Georgia Regiment then
charged through the woods, routing 2 Federal regiments (one of which was part
of Hancock’s brigade, caught in the flank).
It looked like the Confederates were winning the battle in the woods.
The 6th Georgia Regiment advances through the woods as the 5th North Carolina Regiment trades murderous fire with the 5th Wisconsin Regiment
The charge of the 6th Georgia Regiment sends the Yankees running
After another turn, the Union side finally suffered a morale loss
which precipitated a retreat off of the field. Hancock’s brigade was smashed,
along with Early’s command. The remaining troops on both sides were heavily
engaged but still in the fight. The game itself was fought over 8 turns and took about a good hour and a half to complete.
Although Davidson's brigade was largely intact, the Union forces suffered a morale loss and began to retreat off of the field
Expecting a Confederate victory (the redoubt and the rest of
the field continued to be held by the Confederates), the computer’s
analysis surprised me with a Major Federal victory (even after walking wounded
were factored in). Even though the
Confederates held the field, the Union troops under Hancock and Davidson
inflicted casualties at a 3:1 ratio on the advancing Confederates. The difference was the open field that Early’s
troops had to advance through. I thought
that the victory analysis was interesting (and very surprising), yet after
looking at the casualty lists, made sense from a historical standpoint. The successful charge of the 6th Georgia Regiment notwithstanding, the Union forces simply outgunned the Confederates who were caught largely in the open.
So, taking a break from Napoleonics and Ancients, I am
looking forward to more ACW, especially with Carnage and Glory 2. As always, I really enjoyed the experience !
The casualty list:
The Southern Army has suffered losses of:[ 10%] 445 men of all arms
incl.[ 1%] 48 prisoners of all arms
[ 11%] 445 bayonets
[ 0%] 0 artillerists
Honors: [ 104] 38th Virginia
[ 72%] ammunition available
The Federal Army has suffered losses of:
[ 4%] 160 men of all arms
incl.[ 0%] 38 prisoners of all arms
[ 4%] 160 bayonets
[ 0%] 0 artillerists
Honors: [ 503] 43rd New York
[ 73%] ammunition available
The full orders of battle on this flank:
Division D.H. Hill - Attack
[ 101] Major General D.H. Hill - Active B [875 paces]
Brigade Jubal Early - Attack
[ 102] Brigadier General Jubal Early - Active B [500 paces]
[ 101] 5th North Carolina 0/ 390 C+
[ 102] 23rd North Carolina 0/ 412 C
[ 103] 24th Virginia 0/ 420 C
[ 104] 38th Virginia 0/ 501 C-
Brigade Gabriel Rains - Attack
[ 103] Brigadier General Gabriel Rains - Active B [450 paces]
[ 105] 13th Alabama 0/ 392 C+
[ 106] 26th Alabama 0/ 410 C
[ 107] 6th Georgia 0/ 490 C-
[ 108] 23rd Georgia 0/ 490 C-
Staff Duncan McRae
[ 104] Colonel Duncan McRae - Active B [875 paces]
Regiment Edward McCarthy - Attack
[ 105] Captain Edward McCarthy - Active B [225 paces]
[ 109] 52nd Virginia Militia 0/ 518 D+
[ 110] Richmond Howitzers 0/ 46 [ 2] C-
Strengths:
losses/active
0/ 4023 Bayonets
0/ 46 Artillerists
0/ 2 Cannon
0/ 4069 Total of all arms
9 Colors present
Division William Smith - Attack
[ 501] Brigadier General William Smith - Active C+ [800 paces]
[ 505] 1st New York Battery 0/ 150 [ 6] C
[ 506] 3rd New York Battery 0/ 92 [ 4] C
Brigade Winfield S. Hancock - Attack
[ 502] Brigadier General Winfield S. Hancock - Active B+ [500 paces]
[ 501] 5th Wisconsin 0/ 412 C
[ 502] 6th Maine 0/ 412 C
[ 503] 43rd New York 0/ 514 C-
[ 504] 49th Pennsylvania 0/ 482 C-
Staff George A. Custer
[ 504] 2nd Lieutenant George A. Custer - Active B [950 paces]
Brigade John Davidson - Attack
[ 503] Brigadier General John Davidson - Active C+ [400 paces]
[ 507] 7th Maine 0/ 380 C
[ 508] 33rd New York 0/ 481 C-
[ 509] 49th New York 0/ 485 C-
[ 510] 77th New York 0/ 522 C-
Strengths:
losses/active
0/ 3688 Bayonets
0/ 242 Artillerists
0/ 10 Cannon
0/ 3930 Total of all arms
16 Colors present
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